Star Alliance expands network in Italy: ITA Airways becomes the 26th member on April 1, while Eurowings remains outside the alliance
ITA Airways’ entry into Star Alliance represents one of the more important changes in the European aviation market ahead of the 2026 summer season. The Italian national carrier, which at the beginning of 2025 also formally entered the ownership structure of Lufthansa Group, moves under the umbrella of the world’s largest airline alliance on April 1, further strengthening the group’s position in the Italian market. This is a process that was announced shortly after the acquisition of a minority stake in ITA Airways, but it is now gaining full operational meaning: a broader transfer network, a greater number of shared benefits for passengers, and stronger integration of Rome and Milan into the European and intercontinental network of carriers gathered around Star Alliance.
For Star Alliance, this change is not just a formal increase in the number of members. ITA Airways brings additional daily flights to the alliance and strengthens its presence in Italy, a country that has for years been one of the strategically most important markets for Lufthansa Group. According to earlier official announcements related to the integration, the inclusion of ITA Airways should increase the alliance network to 26 members, with more than 18,000 daily flights and connectivity across 192 countries. At the same time, the alliance’s official website still lists the existing network of 25 members, which indicates that the transition is being formally completed precisely at the beginning of April, and not earlier. In other words, this is a pre-prepared and precisely timed entry that is now being translated into everyday operations.
Why ITA Airways is important for Lufthansa Group
Lufthansa Group completed the acquisition of a 41 percent stake in ITA Airways after regulatory approvals and the implementation of agreed measures to preserve market competition. This made the Italian carrier the group’s fifth network airline, alongside Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines. In the group’s business logic, this is much more than a financial investment. Italy is one of Lufthansa Group’s key international markets, and Rome Fiumicino has been positioned as the group’s sixth major hub and its southernmost hub point.
This is also important because of the travel structure. The Italian market traditionally combines strong domestic and European demand with a large share of business and leisure travelers heading to North America, South America, the Middle East, and Asia. In such an environment, a network carrier that can offer transfers, joint tickets, integrated loyalty programs, and coordinated flight schedules has significantly greater strategic value than a company operating exclusively on a direct, point-to-point route model. That is precisely why ITA Airways carries different weight for Lufthansa Group than other brands within the same group.
The integration is not limited to ownership alone. Lufthansa Group had already announced earlier that from the end of March, users would have access to part of the mutually coordinated flights, and from April 1 ITA Airways is also joining Miles & More as the official loyalty program. This means that for passengers, it is not only the logo in the background of the booking system that changes, but also the concrete user experience: easier route combinations, the accumulation of miles in a more unified ecosystem, and the gradual alignment of benefits across the carrier network within the group and the alliance.
What Star Alliance gains from the entry of the Italian carrier
Star Alliance already has a strong presence in Italy through Lufthansa Group members and other carriers, but ITA Airways brings what alliances value most: its own domestic foothold in a large market. In official statements published during the integration process, it was highlighted that ITA Airways brings hundreds of additional daily flights, especially through Rome and Milan, which are already among the most important points for passenger entry to and exit from Italy.
For passengers, this means more than a mere increase in the number of destinations offered. In practice, membership in a global alliance means easier transfers between multiple airlines, greater ticketing and check-in interoperability, better alignment of departure and arrival times, and a clearer framework for using lounges and status benefits. For business travelers, the stability of corporate contracts and the predictability of service when one journey involves several carriers are also important. For the leisure segment, it is even more important that Italy is further strengthened as one of the main Southern European entry points in the alliance network.
In a broader sense, ITA Airways’ entry also shows how the European air transport market is consolidating again around large groups. After years of restructuring, the shutdown of old models, and the search for a sustainable successor to Alitalia, ITA Airways is now gaining a more stable international framework. This also changes the perception of the Italian carrier: from a company that was seeking a long-term strategic partner to a carrier that is becoming part of a broader and clearly defined network.
The regulatory background and why Brussels mattered
The deal between Lufthansa Group and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance was not just an ordinary corporate transaction. The European Commission approved the acquisition of joint control over ITA Airways on condition that measures be implemented to protect competition on certain routes and at certain airports. Later, the Commission also approved the so-called remedy takers, among whom were easyJet, IAG, and Air France-KLM for certain elements of the proposed solutions.
This was important because Italy is a sensitive market, especially on routes toward Central Europe and via Milan Linate Airport. Without the regulatory green light, Lufthansa Group’s entry into ITA Airways would not have been possible in its current form. That is why today’s inclusion of ITA Airways in Star Alliance should also be seen as the final phase of a much broader process: from a politically and regulatorily sensitive takeover to full commercial integration into the European aviation bloc.
For Italian passengers and the economy, this opens a dual perspective. On the one hand, integration into a strong group and alliance can mean greater network connectivity and more stable development of the carrier. On the other hand, part of the market will continue to closely monitor the effects on competition, especially on routes where the number of strong players is limited. In other words, the story of ITA Airways is not only a story about a brand and membership, but also about the balance between strengthening market position and preserving a competitive environment.
Why Eurowings, despite ownership ties, is not part of Star Alliance
At the same time as ITA Airways enters Star Alliance, Eurowings remains outside the alliance, and this is neither an exception nor a temporary oversight, but a logical consequence of its position within Lufthansa Group. The group’s official materials and Eurowings’ own company materials clearly describe it as a value, that is, point-to-point carrier focused on direct European and neighboring routes, with an emphasis on price-sensitive and flexible passengers. Such a model differs from network airlines that rely on hubs, transfers, and alliance partnerships.
It is precisely network carriers that gain the most from deep integration into a global alliance. Alliances such as Star Alliance are designed primarily for the coordination of broad international networks, the alignment of status benefits, lounge access, transfer processes, and the joint distribution of tickets across multiple companies. Eurowings, by contrast, operates with different priorities: the focus is on direct traffic within Europe, on a simpler product, and on a market segment in which speed of adaptation, price, and operational flexibility are often more important than classic alliance infrastructure.
This does not mean that Eurowings does not benefit from belonging to Lufthansa Group. On the contrary, it uses the group infrastructure, shared commercial and operational links, and fits into the broader strategy of the group. But its role is not the same as the role of Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, or now ITA Airways. While those companies are the backbone of the group’s multi-hub network, Eurowings covers the segment of direct and more price-sensitive traffic. For that reason, the fact that Lufthansa is the owner is not in itself sufficient for the company to automatically become a member of Star Alliance.
Two different strategies within the same group
It is precisely the comparison between ITA Airways and Eurowings that best shows how major airline groups today allocate their brands according to function rather than according to a single corporate pattern. ITA Airways joins Lufthansa Group as a network carrier with a strong national identity, its own hub, and the potential for intercontinental development. Eurowings remains a tool for a different part of the market: shorter routes, leisure and city-break traffic, flexible capacity management, and competition for passengers for whom price is among the main criteria.
Such a division is not just marketing. It determines the way partnerships are planned, the fleet is allocated, loyalty programs are developed, and the relationship with alliances is defined. For Lufthansa Group, this means that it can simultaneously build a premium and network product through Star Alliance while at the same time retaining a separate channel for the point-to-point market. For passengers, this sometimes creates confusion, especially because all these companies are under the same corporate roof, but the business logic behind that difference is fairly clear.
That is why the news about ITA Airways and Star Alliance is not merely news about one new membership card in the world of aviation. It is a signal of how Lufthansa Group is further positioning itself in Europe, especially in the Italian market, and how in doing so it preserves the separate roles of its brands. From April 1, ITA Airways becomes part of a global alliance system that opens up a broader international network and deeper integration with the group. Eurowings, meanwhile, remains outside Star Alliance, not because it is less important, but because its purpose is different. In the world of aviation, where strategy is measured by networks, slots, profitability, and the type of passengers a carrier targets, that is a difference that carries considerable weight.
Sources:- Star Alliance – official announcement on the start of ITA Airways integration, the number of daily flights, and the expected growth of the alliance network (link)- Lufthansa Group – official announcement on the completion of the acquisition of a 41 percent stake in ITA Airways and the positioning of the company as the group’s fifth network airline (link)- European Commission – decision approving the acquisition of joint control over ITA Airways subject to conditions for the protection of competition (link)- European Commission – approval of remedy takers in the context of the ITA Airways procedure (link)- Miles & More – official announcement that from April 1, 2026, it becomes the official loyalty program for ITA Airways (link)- Lufthansa Group – overview of business segments, distinguishing network airlines and Eurowings as a point-to-point carrier (link)- Eurowings – official company page on positioning as a value carrier for direct flights in Europe (link)- ITA Airways – official page on cooperation with Lufthansa Group, Star Alliance, and partner airlines (link)
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